Illinois Gov. Wants Civil Unions Vote

Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois said Wednesday that, for the sake of the state's economy, lawmakers should vote on and pass civil unions legislation in their fall session that begins next week.

Quinn, a Democrat reelected last week by a mere 20,000 votes, made the statement in an interview with the Associated Press. He called the civil unions measure a "good" bill that sends companies the message that Illinois embraces diversity, and said that state representative Greg Harris, the sponsor, is close to having the votes needed to pass it.

According to the AP, "Harris of Chicago, who was still counting votes to see if enough support was there, said Quinn's win will help and lawmakers who may still be on the fence can also look to the victory of Republican U.S. Senator-elect Mark Kirk, who also supports civil unions."

"People sense there is really movement for this. This is not gay marriage," Harris said, the AP reported.